Lead balls v. ?

[skratch]

I remember reading on a post not to use lead balls in bores over 1". Would the reason be weight versus iron or other materials? I have a 2" smooth bore tube, just cast some lead balls, 11/2 lb., with .064 windage and will use an 800gr. charge. Does this sound safe? I have shot it using concrete cylinders, don't know the weight but they are less, same charge, with no problems. Thanks to all for sharing your knowledge.
Still learning,,,,,,
John....

[GGaskill]

We would have to know the dimensions of your barrel to make a statement.  Does it follow the 1:1 rule?

[Double D]

I remember reading on a post not to use lead balls in bores over 1". Would the reason be weight versus iron or other materials? I have a 2" smooth bore tube, just cast some lead balls, 11/2 lb., with .064 windage and will use an 800gr. charge. Does this sound safe? I have shot it using concrete cylinders, don't know the weight but they are less, same charge, with no problems. Thanks to all for sharing your knowledge.
Still learning,,,,,,
John....

You can use lead over 1 inch but you must reduce your load to start.  It is no different than any other reloading process.  Start with a reduced load and work up.

Those charts in the sticky's are maximum recommend loads, not starting loads.  The guidance is  to reduce the loads substantially then start working up until you find a load that performs properly. 

How far is your target?  The load you use for 100 yards may work just fine at 200.  But you may also need to increase your load for the longer range.

A 2 inch pure lead ball should weigh around 1.7 pounds.  The same ball in zinc will weigh 1 pound. With equal charges of powder the lead ball will have substantially  more recoil than the lighter  zinc ball.  The Zinc ball will shot flatter.

Here is a video of my 1 inch bore  cannon shooting a 1 inch round lead ball of about 1500 grains and 1in  cylindrical slug that weighs  about 3900 grains. Both rounds are fired using 190 grs of FG

9oz slug

3.5 oz Roundball

You just have to do load testing to see what is best for you and use the load charts to set your parameters.

Using the load charts guideline of 2 oz per inch, your maximum recommend load for Cannon grade is  1750 grains.  Your load of 800 grains sounds reasonable as long as your powder is Cannon grade.  You are probably okay using FG  with 800.  Remember Fg is gives about 40% more pressure than an equivalent load of Cannon grade without a significant increase in velocity.  If I were using Fg I would start with 600 grains and work up